Thursday, February 14, 2013

Archer is 2 months old! Where has the time gone!?

Weight

We will get your weight on Friday, but I think you are around 14 lbs already! That means you are about 1/2 your sister's weight!

Length

We will find out your length on Friday, too. But by my measurement you are about 25" long! TALL BOY!

Clothes

You are now wearing 3-6 and some 6-9 month clothing
and size 2 diapers! I don't think it will be long before we have to move up to size three diapers. I think we might go ahead and do that at night, since you are starting to sleep longer at night (KNOCK ON WOOD)!

Nicknames

Arch, Bub, Bubs, Bubba, Brother,
Chubs, Chunky Monkey

Food

You are exclusively breastfed, and will take a bottle if you have to (of breast milk). But you won't take it from me at all! You love to eat and are eating every 3-4 hours usually. Although sometimes you still want to eat every 1-2 (I think that is when you are going through a growth spurt). You nurse for about 10-20 minutes on one side at a feeding, and it seems to work pretty well for us! I have started introducing some acidic and spicy food back into my diet and so far you have tolerated it pretty well, thank goodness! I look forward to the day I can pig out on texmex again!!!

Sleep

You are sleeping more and more at night these days, which is SO nice! Last night, you slept from 11 to 4, then went back down until 6:30 when I got up to get ready to take sister to school. I am starting to feel human again!

Fun Stuff- some are the same from month 1!

* You have really started smiling and cooing in the last week or so! I love it!

* You love your owl mobile that is
on your pack & play. That is about the only way I am able to get a shower
these days!

* You are starting to bat at things and love to stare at yourself in the mirror and look at lights and fans!

* You HATE your carseat
until the car is moving, then you usually fall asleep.

* You
surprisingly enjoy bathtime and it seems to calm you down.

* You have stopped screaming during clothes changes, and you still love to be naked! You just smile and smile when you are stripped down!

*
You like to be rocked, bounced, swung- anything movement puts you to sleep. Or
at least calms you down for a bit.

* You are only fussy in the evenings now, and those times seem to be getting shorter and shorter!

* You love to sit up in my lap, look around, and
especially look at our faces and the cross wall!

* You hold your head up
so well and are very strong.

* You love to have your back patted and I
can usually get you to sleep that way.

* You have started taking a paci some, although you don't keep it for long, it will settle you down.

Archer- happy 2 month birthday!!! We love you so much and you have brought so much joy and happiness to our lives! We love you!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

We have had a lot going on- Archer's birth on 12-13-12, and then my in-laws were in a horrible car accident on 12-15-12, and both spent over a month in the hospital. We are just so thankful they survived! But they are both still recovering. So with all of that, plus all of the yuck that has been going around lately, we just decided to celebrate her birthday this summer, when we can enjoy the sun and her favorite thing- WATER!

But I did want to record just a few fun things that she is doing now!

*She LOVES her brother, and enjoys rocking him and rubbing his head.

* She has started crossing her arms. Not sure where she picked that up from, but it is a fun development!

* She loves school and is excited to go each day! She is in LOVE with Mrs. Karen. Sadly, her regular teacher is on maternity leave so Mrs. Karen is only a sub. I think Ava will really miss her when she is gone.

* She has started eating SO many new things at school, and it has really opened her eyes to a whole new world! I have always been cautious- too cautious- about what I give her. I am trying to be better about that and want to make sure I don't do the same with Archer. Live and learn!

* She loves playing outside at school, and usually comes home dirty and happy! One of her first days, she had dirt and mud on her from being outside. Her teachers apologized to me, and I told them that kids should be dirty! That a dirty kid is usually a happy one!

* I have been putting her hair in pigtails and she looks so big!!! So fun!

* She is VERY popular at school! The other kids in her class always greet her and I will usually have faculty and staff (that I don't know and that don't work with her) greet her by name each morning! I love that!

I have a meeting at her school tomorrow for her new IEP. I am nervous since this is the first formal IEP meeting- the first of many! For those that don't know, and IEP is an Individual Education Plan. These are special educational and therapy plans for special needs students. They are very important and can be very stressful and awful from what I hear. I think just about every special needs parent has an IEP horror story after their child is finished with school. But I love her school now and I fully expect to have nothing but good things come from the conference!

Ava, mommy can't believe how big and mature and sweet you are! I love being your mommy and I am so blessed to have been able to love on you for the last three years, and I look forward to many more! I love you SOOOOO much!